With current advancements in technology, IC chips have become increasingly complex and achieve a high level of integration. Today, IC chips are used to perform various functions in electronic devices, such as mobile phones, cameras, set-top boxes, and personal digital assistants (PDAs).
The IC chip typically includes a power management system which manages, amongst other things, the power supplied to the IC chip. The power management system further includes a power measurement circuit for estimating the power consumed by the IC chip. The power measurement circuit estimates the power consumed by the IC chip, by measuring a current drawn from a power source.
Power is generally measured by placing a sensor, for example, a resistor, across the power source. The voltage drop across the sensor is sensed. The sensed voltage is provided to the power management system in the IC, for managing the power requirement in the IC chips. However, interfacing of the sensed voltage with the power management system in the IC chip requires additional components and engages pins of the IC chip, thereby increasing cost and reduced functionalities of the electronic device.